A Carroll man has pled guilty to federal drug and firearm charges stemming from a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy in west-central Iowa. According to records from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa, 32-year-old Shawn Zak entered his plea yesterday (Wednesday) at the courthouse in Sioux City to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and illegal possession of a firearm. Prosecutors said Zak admitted that from June through September 2025, he and others conspired to distribute more than 1,500 grams of methamphetamine in the Carroll area. Authorities approached Zak on Sept. 11, 2025, on an active arrest warrant. He provided a false name and briefly struggled with officers before being taken into custody. Investigators seized 53.19 grams of pure methamphetamine, marijuana, .22-caliber ammunition, and items associated with drug distribution from the vehicle. A .22-caliber handgun was later recovered from the vehicle. Zak, who has prior felony convictions for burglary in Iowa and criminal trespass in Pennsylvania, was prohibited from possessing a firearm. Zak faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. He remains in custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing. The case was investigated by Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and Iowa DCI Laboratory.
